Written on wood.. in other words, property vandalism.. errkk.?!?

Yesterday was the 11th day of fasting for Muslims. Though normally, during this phase of Ramadhan, most have gotten used to the dawn till dusk fasting, it wasn't the case for me. For the first time during this year's Ramadhan, I was feeling very sluggish and very tired. It didn't help that today I had 3 classes till night.

Luckily, it didn't result in me being snappy towards my students.. more likely, it made them laugh seeing me being the one who kept looking at my watch, instead of them being the ones counting the minutes.

To help with this feeling I had, I gave my students loads of questions to answer so I didn't have to do much teaching (bad teacher!). After writing it all on the board, I settled in my seat while trying to keep my eyes open.. and that's when I noticed it.

7 years ago, after receiving 'the invite', I avoided my class for the day and asked Fared to be my relief for teaching. However, I couldn't actually avoid the class on the next day as I didn't really have a concrete reason to bail out on it. After hours of crying, I decided, maybe going to my class was just the thing I needed. Something to distract me..

It DID help up to a degree but after a while, I realized my voice kept breaking during teaching that in the end, I just gave my students some exercises and avoid talking that much. I was so relieved when the first class had ended and it was then that I did something I had never done before..

..I vandalized the class property and wrote down some important words I had never (gotten the chance to) say out loud.

There was this sense of relief when I had written it down (though thankfully, there was a feeling of guilt too!) Though the tears didn't stop flowing then, the heaviness in my heart at that very moment was lifted for a while.

I must've stared at my 'handiwork' for a while before the first few students of my next class started trickling in.

The next few weeks had me pretending I hadn't written those words down and instead, it was done by some juvenile student (ye, sgt buruk perangai awak ni, Ayu!) The feeling of relief I had felt when I first wrote them turned into regret that I had never let them pass through my lips to be heard by the person it was intended for..

Lucky for me, the class was to be painted and a few months later, the desk with my graffiti was no longer in plain sight..

..not that I wanted to go search for it, anyway!

I'd almost forgot about it until I saw it yesterday. The pain I had felt when I had written those word has long gone.. ok! Tipu haha.. not really gone la kot but dulled. Still, it didn't stop my heartstrings from feeling a familiar tug..

I'm glad that its faded away though. Won't really like to be reminded that I was once reduced to a vandalis-er (Hahaha.. ade ke perkataan camtu?) Really would not do that again.. I hope!

*And yet, I spent the whole night till sahur rereading some entries I shouldn't be.. hmmm.. =(

A Black and White World

Like all other Malaysian kids, rice and P Ramlee movies were among the staples of growing up. Rice was taken twice a day then.. P Ramlee movies?! Once a week and even that wasn't enough. You could recite all dialogues from any random P Ramlee movie but you still wanted more.

I guess me and my siblings love for P Ramlee movies were inherited from Abah. We had videos of almost all P Ramlee movies where Abah would always have extra empty video tapes for recording the movies. We grew adept at the recording (while filtering all commercials, of course) of these movies so anyone could do it.. just in case Abah was outstation at that time.

Just now was a screening of Sarjan Hassan. A Japanese invasion based movie. In this movie, P Ramlee enlisted in the army to help with the war. I always cringe whenever I realize its Sarjan Hassan on screen because of an incident when I was around 8 or 9 years old (I previously thought it was when I was in standard one, until I remembered, we still hadn't moved to our present house then haha..)

There was once scene (the one that makes me cringe whenever I remember it) where P Ramlee wanted to buy a long scarf (selendang) for his sweetheart back in the village. He told the shopkeeper, he wanted 'the blue one'.

I was always amazed at this scene as it was a black and white movie. It lead to another question so I 'innocently' turned to my father and asked him..

""Abah, tahun bile dunia ni start ade kaler? Dulu² still bleh tau ke cemmane rupa kaler biru wpun dunia masih itam putih ?"

The look on his face (and this was even before he burst out laughing) made me realize I had just asked a silly question.

On my defense, I actually DID think that once upon a time ago, the world was in black and white. I always wondered how it must've felt like to be one of the adults who one day woke up to a colourful world and to tell you the truth, I envied them because they managed to witness a miracle... lah sangaaaaaattttt~~

And yeah.. I had to endure being the butt of the jokes for weeks after (and especially during the weekly P Ramlee movie time haha..)

*Updated*

P/S Turned out I wasn't the only one who thought this. A few friends (and a cousin hehe..) have just admitted to having the exact same thought as me..

Bayam Merah Pah Aisyah

Yesterday morning I found myself at the PB market. I had planned to go buy some things for some curry mee but as usual, I loved to browse all stalls. In the end, in addition the the things actually needed for my curry mee (which I bought in excees sbb kunun bleh freeze and use next time), I also bought some bananas and some vegetables.. particularly red spinach!

Usually there are so mane people at the market that no matter how early I go, some veges have already left the shelf by the time I arrived (even klau sampai there at 7.20am, ok!) This time I was lucky, they had a large fresh supply and without hesitation, I bought some.

Why am I talking about 'without hesittion'? Its because I very seldom cook leafy vegetables. I prefer the non-leafy ones (cucumbers, tomatoes, baby corn, green peppers, mushrooms and such) coz they are longer lasting in the fridge since I sometimes take time to even consider what to do with them haha..

Nway, since yesterday I'd already done my curry mee, I decided to make something different today and remembered the bayam merah I bought yesterday. I decided to try and see if I could make a respectable dish outta it. Yeah, I know, takat bayam merah je pun, not rocket science. But still..

In the end, I managed to make something that looked like what my arwah Pah would've done for us when she was still alive and strong.. tadaaa~~

I remember the first time I was introduced to this leafy vegetable. We had just come back to Malaysia and were staying at Kuala Kangsar for the time being. Pah had made lunch and I was suprised to see some red vegetable soup. It intrigued me that it was red in colour and I assumed Pah had put some red colouring in it.

A few months later, after entering school, I had learnt about the fable Raja Bersiong and instantly, my mind went to the bayam merah dish.

It worried me a bit and somehow Pah noticed this the next time we balik kampung. She then asked me if I wanted to help her prepare the dish and since my curiosoty was very high, I went along with her.

It was like magic when I realized the red colouring came from the spinach itself and Pah must've been amused seeing me so relieved that it wasn't actually cooked in blood, as in Raja Bersiong haha..

So thank you, Pah, for that lesson in kitchen magic. I always think of you whenever I see bayam merah, cooked or uncooked.

My first try at preparing bayam merah 

Alfatihah..

Imps from my past hehe..

"Bg kerja..tunggu bdak2 ciap wat kerja..p kedai runcit beli 2 tin nescafe..minum 1 tin smpai abis dalam masa 10 saat sambil duduk bawah meja..pastu wat muka malu (malu la sgt)..abis tusyen,,balik naik ATOS..minum lg 1 tin masa drive balik umh..umh ckgu penang kan ?? Hahahahaha.....power x otak sy, igt lagi tuh.." ~ Zaim

"Skng dh maju la skit xnek bsikl dh..hehe..tingt gak msa dlu kmi je yg thegeh2 lmbai2 kt ckgu..yg ckgu sengeh tolak idong..hahaha...lwk gila..lmbaian yg x drhgai..hahahaha...pas 2 ckgu bwk keta folow bkng kmi nek bsikl..dok2 hon2..mcm la xleh lalu tepi 2..haha..kn??;D" ~ Izzat

"Ckgu nk tau x ?? Baru je 3 ari lepas tringat kt ckgu..tetiba td lam inbox dpt mcg ckgu..cm x caye je.." ~ Zaim

Oh God! I had a really fun weekend.. and I didn't even have to go out (except for my classes la kan)

On Friday, I was asked to sub for Khairi's class in Bagan Serai. When I arrived for the class, I realized it was one batch I had taught for two years (Form 1 and Form 2) BUT, only 5 of my ex-students were in that class.

I didn't notice how frustrated I was when I realized that as this was one of my 'nightmare' classes (a nickname I gave them, proven in this entry haha..). Why do I call them that?

Well, prior to that year, my classes were usually small.. and I actually prefer them that way. Tu la baru tuition kan, instead of classes like I have now yang kadang bleh sampai 50 students *pengsan*

Anyway, I was used to small classes too much that whenever my students exceeded 20 students each, I'd panic.. Like seriously ketaq lutut style while feeling like running outta the class every few minutes. My problem was, some of thsse students noticed that and lagi la depe dok naik kepale kaaann.. to which I'd actually cry during class sbb tak tahan.. Yeah, I know, sgt pathetic bile ingat balik..

Still, some of them don't relly mean it, I guess. They thought they were just being cheeky, without realizing the limit their lame teacher ni bleh terime..

In this class, at least the girls were great. Typical girls yang tak pernah tak buat kerja and will shut their mouth while doing their work, thus making the boys always telling me, "Cikgu ni sayang budak perempuan je kan!"

Anyway, I admit, the last day I had with them (In Bagan Serai, I always taught only form 1 and form 2 so I knew I wouldn't be teaching them again), I felt a bit sad. As annoyed I am sometimes (more like in each and every time I teach them) with them, I'd grown attached to most of them. Wpun kadang tu exasperated coz dalam baru lepas kene marah tu, bleh lagi dok sengih².. haiyaaaa~~

Back to the present day, I found myself thinking of this class as I went back home, especially after Muhsin (one of my ex-students) had talked about Zaim so it didn't suprise me much when I searched on Zaim on FB.

Now, as a rule, I NEVER add my students.. approve ye, add tu tidak la coz sometimes teenagers ni kan agak annoying (Ok! Now I sound like an old aunty!) Well, you know la how they are kan.. Hahah, ok, only 'old aunties' like me kot bleh paham the annoying 'relationship statuses' la.. the annoying ejaan pelik² la.. the annoying mulut² itik kunun cute abis laaa.. well, all that stuff. But if my student adds me, I usually approve je coz they made a bit of an effort kan (while hoping against hope they don't 'amuse' be by being annoying like I said before)

As for Zaim (a.k.a The ORIGINAL Budak Kecik), somehow, I'd been thinking of him a lot for the past few weeks actually. He was this TINY boy during form 1, always teased by his friends sampai dia majuk and I always laughed even if I backed him (thus the reason why Izzat said, "Takpa Penyu, mentang² la cikgu Ayu sayang hang!") During form 2, he and Izzat somehow managed to get my phone number and as kids would be kids, asyik la dok misscall kaaannn~~

Anyway, I was really suprised when the first profile that came up was in fact Zaim's (Actually, I'd forgotten his name and had been trying hard to remember saaaampai la si Muhsin sebut) Around half an hour later, when I checkd my FB, I realized that Zaim had accepted my request and had already conteng on my wall..

God! I didn't realize I was smiling so broadly =) =) =)

Turns out, the reason I was thinking so much of him was because he was also thinking of me.. if you believe that psychological BS laaaaa heheh.. Seryesly, I was VERY happy.. and to think that the whole week I was actually a bit sad with some old stories I'd rather forget.

Zaim had already moved back to Terengganu, his actual hometown (NOW I know why they called him Penyu dulu!) with his family earlier in the year. When asked why didn't he wait until after SPM, he told me that his mother was the one who wanted to go back to Terengganu as soon as his father retired. He said he'd begged but the decision was already made.. sian plak kat dia..

I asked about Izzat and not even 5 minutes later, I received a request from Izzat.. waaahhhh~~

I was happy to realize that they were still close friends and they were actually chatting at that very moment. Habis la kan I kene perli with them sbb deme seronok la plak cakap, "Cikgu rindu kitorg!"

And what made me smile was that Izzat's first reaction was to tell me about the fun times.. instead of the time depe asyik kene marah je! Heheh.. I was expecting him to remember the bad times only since he was always so cheeky in class so selalu la kene marah. When he was form 1, dia pernah kene panggil with Sir Sany during MY class sbb Sir Sany kesian tengok me kene bully with them, boley? Mase tu, I remember how he tried to pretend dia tak kecik ati kene marah camtu because of me hehe..

Izzat's now in Teknik Seberang Jaya so I was really lucky that it was a school holiday, klau tak, tak sembang with Izzat ape mlm tu =) I really laughed when he told me he still remembered my Budak Kecik nickname for Zaim.

Izzat slept early that night, around midnight, dah lebur! But me and Zaim continued till 3am.. and wouldn't have stopped klau memasing tak ngantuk ape.. habis sumer citer kluar hehe..

I went to sleep smiling that night. I kept remembering how cheeky they were, and funnily, like Izzat, I couldn't remember WHY I was always mad at them. I only remembered the times they made me smile. I also forgot about the things that have been troubling me lately and it was all thanx to them!

I thought we had finished then and since Saturday was usually my busy day full of classes, I didn't have time to go online until late that night. And to my suprise, I got a message from Izzat, asking me when I was gonna be online. Alaaaaaaaahaaaiii, anak murid ku ini.. terharu ok!

So that night I spent my time with Izzat pulak and kept laughing all the time. He's still as cheeky as he was dulu and kept asking me if I remembered this or that. He talked about his new school and such.. gosh! I sure miss those cheeky imps!

Turned out, the reason Zaim was quiet that night was because he spent the day going back to Terengganu after spending his school holiday in Bagan Serai, THAT means, during the time I was teaching Khairi's class, he was just in the area. Sian pulak dia, rindu kawan² dia sampai sanggup turun Bagan..

On Sunday plak, I had to sub Cikgu Yazid in Jawi so I only went online in the afternoon and was smiling again when I got a message from Izzat inviting me to go visit him in his hostel whenever I'm free. He gave me his latest phone number (stating, "Cikgu nak amik number ni amik la, tak mau pun takpe la.. sy pasrah!" Hahah..) and sheepishly admitted that he had lost my phone number. He was already getting ready to back to his school.. alaaa, sekejapnye la.. =(

That night, Zaim plak online sampai pukul 2.00am lebih kot.. I had fun teasing him again as I did before and he told me proudly that I couldn't call him Budak Kecik anymore coz he's now 176cm tall.. whaaaa~~ Dulu dia kecik giler, ok!

Along the way, someone else plak added me, MIRZA! Wahahaha~~ Baru je Muhsin cakap aritu, "Musuh cikgu tak mai.." when I was taking the attendance for the class on Friday. Coz Mirza was one of the most cheeky ones ke tahap annoying and selalu kene marah then majuk ngan Cikgu Ayu.. and even he has changed! And though I'm VERY sure he remembers the bad times with me (Heheh..), he also chose to 'mengungkit' ONLY the good ones..

Waaa.. ni yang sayang kat korg ni!

And till today, I'm still smiling like crazy kot for my fortune! Thank God for the reason to smile and laugh after a few weeks of feeling blue.. and thank God jugak for giving me these kinda students! Like I told them la after Izzat was teasing me saying that I miss them coz I must've loved them so much dulu: Garang, garang jugak.. Marah pun, marah la jugak.. Tp sayang tu dah mesti! ~ ♥

LOTR on TV2.. I likey!

Coming home from an exhausting class last night (I swear, these Form 5 kids act more like 9-year-olds whenever they're in the midst of exams, making me lose my patience more than once last night), I switched on to 8TV to watch some Idol action. Not wanting to go to bed yet after it had ended, I decided to flip to TV2 to see what movie they were showing (those without Astro know that Friday nights are movie nights on TV2 and TV3 kan heheh..)

..and almost yelled in delight when I saw a familiar scene: The council for the Fellowship of The Ring! Yeayyyyy

Its been years since the LOTR craze kan but its still among my favourite movies.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't even interested in it at first. I read classics, but not one as epic as this so even when the movie was out, I didn't know who John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was nor did I ever hear of The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy.. err, haha, ok! I admit, I wikied his full name just to sound smart hahahah.. yeah²! Its not working, I know =p

To me, the title sounded a bit.. boring! *Errr, mati la kene sula kot ngan LOTR fans ni klau depe tau*

Anyway, when the first movie came out around the time I was in my final year, I didn't go watch it. I had no interest to watch it and didn't even Google (time tu Google takde kot lagi.. tak pun, blum glamer cam skrg kot heheh..) about it. To me, it was just another over-exposed, over-promoted and over²-yang-sewaktu-dengannye kinda movie..

..and was I proven wrong!

When the second movie, The Two Towers, was about to come out, kak Yani, my roomate was excitedly talking about it. Now, I loved movies even then, but I couldn't really make myself as enthusiastic as her when it came to this.

It so happened, a student club in USM (I don't remember which club) did this fundraising and for the price of RM2 (I think la, can't remember the exact amount), we were given a ticket to a screening of the first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. It wasn't anything fancy pun, they just projected the movie to the screen in one of our lecture theatres but it was good enough to most students since it was a full house that night.

I hadn't planned to watch but kak Yani wanted to watch it again before the Two Towers came out.. to refresh her memory katenye. Since we had nothing better to do, all of us went to the screening since it was just a 10-minute walk from our hostel.

And the rest is history!

Well, ok la, tak la camtu sgt. The first few minutes still didn't seemed to pick up my interest but as the movie developed, I found myself lost in it. When finally it was over, I realized only one thing..

..I missed out on a great movie!

I immediately asked kak Yani when she wanted to watch The Two Towers (it was due to be out that week jugak rasenye).. and yeah, THEN the rest is history! Heheh..

It was great to watch the movie again after almost 10 years.. and I still find myself immersed in the movie just as much as I did, maybe even more, than the first time I watched it in that darkened lecture hall all those years ago.

Who could forget the main character.. The Ring! Hahah..

And Frodo (Lie still calls me Frodo till now.. cisss!), Sam, Merry and Pippin, those Hobbits from Shire. I love all scenes that have Merry and Pippin in it coz they are so entertaining. From stealing Gandalfs cart of fireworks to volunteering to accompany Frodo during the meeting that they weren't invited in hahah..

I also like the scenes with Legolas and Gimli where at first, they didn't like each other and Gimli was always trying to show how much better dwarves were compared to elves. I like how their friendship progressed through all three movies and they DO have the best dialogues whenever it is scene involving both of them hehe..

Ahhhh.. Legolas! This was my desktop for quite a time after that. In fact, I'm quite sure if I switch on Abah's old Mac I used back then, my desktop is still some form of Legolas smiling back at me *sigh*

So dia jambu.. so what? Hahah.. most like Aragorn, macho katenye (ni kak Shima and kak Yani nye ayat!) but to me, he looks like he needs a bath =p

Ohh.. and Gandalf.. I love Gandalf! Was a bit frustrated when I saw him perish in the first move but The Two Towers brought him back to life.. yeay!

Anyway, the Two Towers is gonna be shown tomorrow so I can't wait. The Two Towers is my favourite amongst all three so I'm definitely not gonna miss it. Also not planning on missing The Return of The King jugakkk.. mane blehhh.. hehe..

So there, my weekend will be full of tuning into TV2 just to watch one (or more like THREE) of the greatest movies ever made!

7th Challenge ~ A Song That Reminds You of A Certain Event

During matriculation at KMK, I befriended a girl who was so different from me. Her name was Ima. She was from MRSM Taiping and wore 'tudung labuh' while the religious-school-goer, ME, just wore the normal type of hijab. She was confident and friendly while I was painfully shy and very unsure of myself. While I tried to hide away from people, she tried her best to include me in the college social circle.

There was this time when Miss Marzita (the English teacher) announced that they were organizing an English Camp for the college. This would mean that not only would the USM Matriculation students be in the camp, but it would also include the students from UPM, UMS and KPUTM..

..ok! That alone terrified me! I was still trying to make myself invisible to my fellow MUSM students, ni pulak nak suruh join program with other units so I didn't even consider joining in the program.

Yeah right! As if Ima would allow that! Hah!

She wanted to go and she had made up her mindI would go too. No, she didn't even force me but she asked me to help her with her appeal letter (Well, CM being CM, had asked those who wanted to join to write a letter to her on why he/she should be chosen to go to the camp) and bit by bit she persuaded me to write my own letter. Of course I didn't want to but Ima was such a sweet girl, you just couldn't say no. Still, I made sure my letter didn't sound like I wanted to go..

..and just my luck. CM had taken a fancy on my, something about the way I talk (What the..?!?! I KNOW I don't talk funny when it comes to English.. more like mumbling under my breath tu ade lah kot since didn't like speaking in front of people), so she had chosen me to participate in the camp.. haiyaaa~~

Ima was overjoyed since she was also chosen and I was dreading sleeping in a tent at a camp site near Tasik Chenderoh for the weekend. It didn't help when I found out we were in different groups and all groups had a mix of students from the 4 matrix units in KMK. I was petrified, ok!

So imagine my suprise when I realized, I actually kinda liked the outdoors! Hah! Who'd've thought.. dah la mase sekolah tak pernah join pun any kind of camping ke ape ke.. not even the camping-tido-kat-sekolah-je.

One of the most memorable days was when each group was given a compass and some directions, then we were left on our own to find our way home. It was relaxing and tiring all at the same time. Relaxing coz there were no teachers assigned for each group so we could talk in bahasa for a change. C'mon la, the whole group consist of malays so sape la larat nak cakap English manjang kaaaaaannn.. ok, so some of us still tried to talk in English with each other, as the regulation of the camp, but after an hour or so of treading through the forest..

And the tiring part plak was.. well, the hiking and jungle tracking itself la kan! I was sure I was gonna hate it but though my group got lost (and we somehow managed to find ourselves kat tepi jalan raya!), I realized that I really liked these kind of activities. Mase ni baru nak nyesal on how much I missed out during school kan.

Hahah.. and who can forget when we had to go through this rubber plantation. You know how the trees are all planted in an organized way? Well, we were kinda tired by then so these UMS boys in my group (somehow, the MUMS students have always been potrayed as the students who know how to have fun as opposed to us MUSM students who seem a bit too serious) gave us an impromptu Hindi song performance while dancing around those rubber trees.. leaving us in stitches.

Well, anyway.. we were among the last groups to arrive back at the campsite. By then, my nervousness (does the word even exist?) was gone and I felt really at home with my groupmates. We were given some time to get ready for the night with and interesting activity promised for the night.

Turned out, each group had tio perform 2 songs each. Normal activity eh? Well, we, of course, had to chose English songs BUT, 1 song was to be a malay song translated into English.

My group chose KRUs Apa Saja and had fun translating the song together. I'd like to have put this song for the challenge but konpem la our English version of the song takde dlm YouTube kan hehe.. besides, I don't remember our English lyrics for the song except the first line of the first verse,  ♪ I'd do anything for youuuu ♫

As for the English song, we chose this song..

And why is this song memorable enough that it reminds me of the KMK English Camp more than 10 years ago?

Well, when we performed this song, suddenly everyone was in the mood for some campfire singing and before long, the whole camp was singing along with us.. sweet!

I went back from the camp a more confident person.. and with more friends. Including the ones from other units than MUSM. I just regret that we don't have any pictures of the camp coz even remembering it all (with my fuzzy memory) has made me smile.

Thank you, Ima.. for making me go! ♥

Day 07 ~ A song that reminds you of a certain event

How Do I Live ~ Trisha Yearwood

How do I get through

One night without you?

If I had to live without you

What kind of life would that be?

Oh I, I need you in my arms, need you to hold

You're my world, my heart, my soul

If you ever leave, baby, you would

Take away everything good in my life

Without you

There'd be no sun in my sky

There would be no love in my life

There'd be no world left for me

And I, baby, I don't know what I would do

I'd be lost if I lost you

If you ever leave, baby, you would

Take away everything real in my life

And tell me now

How do I live without you?

I want to know

How do I breathe without you?

If you ever go

How do I ever, ever survive?

How do I, how do I

Oh, how do I live?

If you ever leave

Baby, you would take away everything

Need you with me, baby, 'cause you know

That you're everything good in my life

And tell me now

How do I live without you?

I want to know

How do I breathe without you?

If you ever go

How do I ever, ever survive?

How do I, how do I

Oh, how do I live?

How do I live without you, baby?

Baby, how do I live?

AlMashoor (P) Reunion

Last Sunday, a few of my seniors in AlMashoor had organized a reunion for our small school.. and I regret to say that I didn't join in.

*sigh*

I was so excited about this when kak Rid had suggested it but in the end, due to the budget constraints I'm still suffering since the accident (I know, dah berbulan kan!) and well, also because I had forgotten that I'd promised a teacher I'd take over his class that day, I couldn't join in the fun.

I thought I wouldn't miss on much.. but when I looked at the pictures by kak Melia (btw, photos are credit to her) and Sir Chong, I realized I missed out on A LOT! Ruginye~~

Why? Why do I say rugi?!? Coz some teachers also came for the reunion and the school was more than happy to let us use the dining hall for the reunion.

I'd joined in on the discussion and was among the first ones to vote for BIHUN KUAH LAKSA as one of the item on the menu.. Somehow, we only find this in AlMashoor. And somehow, EVERYONE wanted Pak Cik Mat to make it hehe.. tp takde rezeki, Pak Cik Mat dah lama gantung periuk. He doesn't do the canteen (ours OR other places) anymore.. rugi nye!

Some of the seniors had gone to school earlier for the reunion. Letters and official stuff and they had uploaded pictures of our dear, cute school.. cute?!?! Well, it actually is cute coz I'm pretty sure we're the smallest school in Penang. We only have ONE U-shaped block.. no field but a court in the middle.. and thats all! Comel la kan kirenye tu hehe..

Anyway, from the pictures, I noticed a lot of change in my school.. and I wish I could see it for myself instead of just through the pictures.

From the pictures posted, I realized that my favourite teacher ever: Cikgu Nooriah (purple tudung) also came! Memang sgt rugi coz I really want to thank her in person for being the one who made me love maths. I always try to be a teacher just like she was but I know I fall short in most things. Still, all the right things I do when teaching is all due to her.

Beside her is Teacher Mariah. I never really had any classes with Teacher Mariah but she was the secretary for the school PTA and Abah was the president so I got to know her pretty well, along with her family too.

Then there was also Cikgu Pah (sitting in the middle below)! My add maths teacher in forms 4 and 5.. and she doesn't seem to change a bit! Some students were afraid of her.. me included especially since I'm always forgetful about any letters she asks me to give Abah (she was the PTA treasurer). But I love her class. She was the one who made my class take on the Pusat Kecemerlangan Matematik project for our school and I still remember the fun we had in setting it up. Oh.. she also has the prettiest signature in school! All curly and curvy.. tho I never dared to tell her that.

On Cikgu Pah's (Errkk.. Cikgu Shariffah Affiffah!) right is Ckgu Zakirah who taught me for a few months when she just arrived in AlMashoor around the time I was in form 2.. I think?!?!

But on Cikgu Pah's left is another favourite teacher, Cikgu Azizah who taught us Kemahiran Hidup.. and she too seems to not hove changed at all.. ehh, ape ni?! Nape cikgu² mcm tk berubah pun?!?!

Cikgu Azizah was the most motherly teacher in school. We could talk to her about anything and ask her so many questions about growing up. There was never a dull moment in her class and I really wished I could meet her since my last class with her was when I was in form 3 la kan.

Then there was also Cikgu Khairana.. the library teacher AND pakar Geography sekolah hehe.. and she also doesn't look as if she aged since I last had my class (in form 3) with her.. why ah?!?! Awet mude je pun sumer cikgu² sy ni.. ape rahsia?!?!

And last but not least.. SIR CHONG!!

Hahah.. ok! Those who read my blog since I first wrote this blog would probably notice his name in one of my earlier enties. The teacher I resented only because he had teased me ONCE after a history test in form 2. I didn't talk with him till I was in form 5 (Ohh~~ Sungguh buruk perangai ku) even when he was still as nice as ever. And yes, he is one of the nicest teachers who actually emailed me when he found my email on the net a few years ago. Macam malu kan sy dok buat perangai camtu dulu hahah..

And this is the only teacher who'd use coloured chalks when teaching. He taught me history and the blackboard was filled with his colourful doodles.. till now, he's the ONLY teacher I know who does this!

I heard that they had a lot of fun during the reunion.. saje nak bg sy jeles la tu.. uwaaaa~~

Anyway, here's another picture from kak Melia's FB. My cute and small school. These two joint blocks were the academic area during my time. The third block was the hostel. We only had around 500++ students then.. and that was counting form 6 students.

*sigh*

I really wish I had gone to the reunion. Now I can only hope they'd be kind enough to organize another one (kak Melia ade ckp cam ura² nak buat a bigger one around raya nanti) in the near future. Till then, dok ulang bukak FB kak Melai and Sir Chong la to look at the photos..

P/S
This entry was 'dijanakan' oleh tindakan Cikgu Nooriah tagging me to Cikgu Nasar's photo hahah.. Ohhh, berdosa tak klau sy nak tulis pasal dia one of these days?!?! Of course la takkan buh the said gambo, kang kantoi with him, how?! Heheh..

Betrayal of a memory?!?!

So my fever is gone but my coughing doesn't seem to wanna go away. According to my usual pattern, my voice would be this way for almost two weeks but this also means that I'm getting better, especially since I could now sleep without the help of eucalyptus oil anymore.. so no complaints there. Just wanted to share something..

My class was fine for the first hour just now but during the second hour, maybe due to me talking a bit too much, I found myself coughing non-stop. Though I know I'm getting better, I didn't really want anyone to get uncomfortable with my coughs o after leaving my form 3 students with a few questions, I dashed to the grocery shop downstairs to find what they had as a remedy.

I saw the usual cough syrup I've always used (which actually hasn't been working that much for the last two bottle.. maybe because the doses are getting weaker kah.. or maybe jugak coz I'm already immune to that particular brand) but as I tried to grab that particular brand, my hand automatically went to the other brand beside it.

Guess my body was trying to remind me that I need a new cough syrup..

..which a lil' (very little!) part of me started feeling like I was betraying IM!

Ok.. ape kes? Hahah..

A few years ago, when I was still contemplating whether to do my MSc or not, I had come down with a bad cough. Well, not as bad as now but then I was rarely sick so coughing was so very not me and made me squirmish while trying to avoid people. I didn't go to work (I was an RO in my school) and stayed in my room all day. That day I had actually felt a bit better, but the air conditioned room worsened my condition so I decided to take the day off and went back to my room.

I wasn't really sick as in fever sick, only had a bad cough so I was really bored when I was back in my room. Luckily I always had a good stock of books so before long I found myself sitting at my desk, reading. A few moments into the book, my phone rang and I was a bit cheered up to see it was IM. He seldom called me in the day (or even at night if we were in USM.. the wonders of free internet kan!) so I was wondering why he called. Turned out, he had noticed me coming back early from work and was planning on 'investigating' if I was purposely 'tuang kerje'.

Ohh.. sy kan budak skema!

Anyway, I just told him I wanted to rest and didn't really need to tell him I was having a bit of a cough as he could hear my voice. I've always been uncomfortable of telling people I'm not well ke ape ke coz I don't want people to say I'm asking for their sympathy or something. He also didn't ask me to elaborate on my simple answer to his question and we continued to talk for a while before he told me he had to go somewhere to do something important.

I continued to read my book and was about to take a nap when once again my phone rang.. to my suprise it was him again. A suprise coz we seldom actually talk to each other (Ok, so dulu sy pemalu skit.. so what!) except for the nightly YMs, and this was two calls in one day.

He asked me to go down as he was waiting for me and though I was grumbling inside (Well, I'm a girl. Nak turun tu of course la kene tukar baju and pakai tudung elok² sumer..) I still went to see what he wanted.

When he saw me, he sheepishly handed me a plastic bag with something in it.. and I was wondering if it was another ice cream (he had once gone to Pekaka to do some photocopying.. and somehow when he saw the Walls freezer, he decided to buy some ice cream for the both of us. I almost laughed when he called me to go down to see him just so he could give me the already half-melted ice cream.. just because he was thinking of me..)

Err.. where was I?

Oh, yeah..

I opened the plastic bag in front of him and was confused to see this red box (Ok, I have to admit, I never liked buying off-the-shelf medicine before. I preferred going to the doctor so I didn't know it was a bottle of cough syrup at first). I looked at him and he just smiled and told me, just because I didn't wanna tell him, doesn't mean he couldn't guess what was wrong with me..

Well, I guess I had developed a bit of a crush on him then when I realized what his 'something important' actually was..

So.. Now I find it a bit 'menyusahkan' to go to the doctors sometimes so whenever I have a cough, I always buy the same brand of cough syrup.. even almost 10 years later now..

..but just now, I realized the cough syrup no longer provided me with the relief it once had. Mama used to say, too much of something makes you immune to it, so I guess thats what happened. It felt a bit surreal to see myself paying for another brand of cough syrup <-- Ok, cam drama lebey plak di situ

I guess a part of me just felt like it was betraying a memory.. <--Ok. konpem Ayu dok wat drama ni!

I went back to my class and suprises of suprises, I took one dose of the new cough syrup and I'm okay right till now..

Hmm..

Sape tak kenal tune ni kan hehe..

As usual, every Sunday morning (12.30am that is) both TV3 and TV2 would be playing on some movies which I've religiously watched since I got my own television set. Wait! Or was it before eh.. when I still 'tumpang'ed Elie's tv?!?!

Anyway, usually TV3's choice was better (haha..) but lately, TV2s choice aren't bad. They sometimes love to put on James Bond classics and other so I kinda liked it too.

Just now, TV3 had on Just Like Heaven, which though I love, I just watched recently so I decided to see what TV2 had to offer.. Lets see..

Hmm.. does anyone NOT recognize this tune?

Hahah.. ok la, not actually the original (and yes, I prefer the original la of course but this one was a good rendition of it jugak kan).

I didn't grow up when the movie was famous but during my childhood, there was this weekly cartoon of them. Who could forget.. and which child did not want to become The Lone Ranger.. or Tonto.. err, Silver takde sape kot nak jadik kan =p

I'm not sure if children nowadays even know about this folk hero.. but I'm sure they too know this tune kan..

And the movie was so-and-so la.. but everytime the tune came on, I found myself drumming my hands to the music while 'tedede tedede tededek dek deeekkk' along with it hahah..

Kinda makes me miss my childhood in a good kinda way =)

P/S Ohhh, sy tadek Astro, k =p

Once a KRU posse, always a KRU posse kah?

Ok, I'm blaming Achik for this entry. The past new year, I was noticing him uploading old songs of KRU. This kinda surprised me as he's like 5 years younger than me kot so I always thought KRU was during 'my time' as he was still a kid mase tu. But I guess the influence of KRU was big la kot mase tu.

At that time, Malaysian music was mostly ballads and slow rock camtu la. So when KRU first came into the market, ade sedikit kejutan budaya lah kot haha.. But they were cute kan so their song went right to the top of the charts in no time.

However, I didn't quite like them that much as, well, I preferred ballads la kot. Especially after hearing one of their first songs yg jadik like an anthem time tu, 2020. Seryes like sejam sekali kot the VC kuar kat TV mau plak time tu ala² Vision 2020 baru kuar. I could actually still imagine the VC with them wearing caps and colourful windbreakers trying to be rappers. To me it was annoying especially the way they said two-zero-two-zero. Another yg famous time tu was Hanya Kaaauuu yg ku mahu.. Hanya kau yg ku tunggu oh kasih kasihh <--Yeah! I hated it but I know the song.. boley?

Then enter form 1, I sat behind Sharifah Nur a.k.a Chipah who was a huge fan and couldn't talk about anything else. Haiyaaa~~

By then everyone was hooked on Mengerti. It took me a while, but I finally succumbed to peer pressure haha.. Ok la, tipu! Mengerti tu bes la jugak and somehow, I still like hearing it even after all these years.. as well as other songs yg tak brape nak glamer hehe.. Still jugak nak cari song ala the ones I liked before kan.

So form 2 onwards, I became one of their not-so-hysterical fan. The one most people liked was of course la Yusry whom at that time, mcm ensem gila la kan. But my classmates knew better than to say they liked him sbb me and Baizurah were like giler berebut dia haha.. mcm bleh dpt right! God, when I remember those good ol' time, mmg nak gelak. Ami liked Norman more and Edry, poor Edry yg takdak sapa nak minat (well, not so many laa) was Suri's choice. I guess our friends were more amused on seeing me and Baizurah 'gaduh'. Berebut and hafal biodata segala.. I'm not sure if I'm right but Yusry's birthday is like 15th June kan? And he's 7 years older than me hehe.. ok, yg tu ingt la. Yang lain like dah lupe.. Ohh, favourite food at that time was Maggi perise Ayam ok. Colour tak ingt but was like blue, black or white camtu.. oh God! Gila apa Ayu ni time tu hahah..

When I was in form 4 and 5, I got a letter from an old friend from Sg Gelugor who had moved to KL and was then living in Taman Melawati, which all KRU fans know to be as the residence of KRU. Suhaila was a member of KRU posse and always went to their house for the fanclub gatherings and all that. And bless her dear soul, she knew I liked them so she sent me photos of them.. and just to rub salt, she sent a picture of heself and Yusry.. *suddenly terpk, mane la sy simpan gambo² tu eh*

In fact, I had curik² to buy a KRU cassette kot once dulu. Abah didn't let us buy cassettes, only CDs je. Like we can buy sgt la with our allowance (that was his plan la tu kan!). Though sbb curik² then I lost it *sobs* I don't remember which tp the cover was light coloured as opposed to the dark coloured ones cam Awas and all that. Haaa, I remember, ade lagu 'Semuanye kan Ok'.. which album pun I don't remember.. Haiyaaa~~

Nways, after listening to a few of Achik's choices (Yes! He actually uploaded multiple KRU songs to his profile that day), I did my own searching and just wanted to share a few of my tak-glamer-sgt favourite KRU songs hehe..

First one is Gadis Jelita.. not to be confused with Wanita Jelita which is also one of their songs.

Second one here is Di Depan Mata..

..and not-so-surprisingly, I still remember the lyrics verbatim, k! Masih leh nyanyi along, boley? Punye la minat kan dulu..

And this one as tribute to my missing cassette.. Semuanya kan Ok!

Hehe.. enjoy!

Oh, btw, Baizurah, this entry is for you.. and Suhaila though Suhaila tak tau pun pasal my blog ni!

*Achik is the grandson of Abah's adopted mum in Bayan Lepas. We call her Mak Tok and she and her family are the only 'family' we have in Penang. That makes Achik.. err, my adopted cousin?!?! Hahah..

And from my oven, came this..

So there I was on a cold Sunday afternoon, not knowing what to do (not that I didn't have anything to do since dah bape minggu tak sentuh research.. erkkk!)

I was pacing around the house when I realized, I haven't baked for a while. But baking cakes or cookies was a big no-no for me since I never really liked sweet things (except la anything chocolatey) THAT much. I started rummaging through the fridge and cabinets to find whatever ingredients I had in hand and suddenly remembered something.

When I was smaller, Mama used to make scones for breakfast during the weekends. I remember how simple it was and how I loved putting butter on the ones right outta the oven, just to see it melt. Then, I loved jam but for me, scones were best with butter.. especially when hot.

Actually, what triggered this memory was when someone uploaded a picture of scones kot on FB.. or something like that. Besides that, a few years ago we went to Camerom with some of the staff. We had gone to this tea garden where they sold scones like 2 pieces kot camtu, with jam and cream. Guess the price? Dlm RM10 kooooottt..

I was like, ridiculous! Dulu my mum buat cam setengah jam je before breakfast and I KNOW the ingredients cam plain flour, sugar, milk and eggs je kot camtu. Not anything fancy pun nak buh harge mahal cenggitu.

Anyway, back to the present day. I realized I had enough ingredients to make some (and the last time I ate them was like 14 years ago kot?!?!). Ok².. ngaku la, had to check the recipe jugak la since I don't really have THAT good a memory la kan =p

Sure enough, it took tak sampai 15 minutes to mix up the err, dough?!?! I made only half the recipe since I live alone. Kang sape nak abiskan? So I got this much la..

Then I used my fondant cutter to get same-sized bits (Klau Mama yg buat, dia bulat² pakai tgn je.. anak dia tak terre, ok!)

Err.. excuse the messy milk+egg glaze. Dah lame tak glaze bende ni and sgt la the very comot one hehe..

Baking took about another 15 minutes or so and I took the opportunity to make some tea. Mase ni dah perasan of having a very English kinda afternoon tea, indeed, complete with some Earl Grey hehe..

..and tadaaa~~

Ok la, I admit. Giler kene kemas my dining table la kan (sblm tu was full with my books) sbb nak amik gambo nye pasal..

..and yes! I was back to being a child again while I watched the butter melting on my hot scones while savouring the taste of it..

..and I was brought back to reality on why I never attempted to make scones before!

I.DON'T.LIKE.THEM!

I don't hate them la, tapi! When Mama made them, of course la I'd eat them. But unlike my siblings who liked them and who'd finish them while they were still hot, I'd eat only ONE piece, then go to the kitchen to find my trustworthy slice of bread.. boley?

I preferred it when Mama made sausage rolls.. or even the simple ol' french toast actually. Scones were never really my thing. That explains why, while some friends took the opportunity to eat the scones in Cameron the other day, I just didn't seem to mind.. except for the ridiculous price la yg they put!

And thats what happened that afternoon, I only ate ONE! Tp teh nye minum bercawan. Haiyaaaa.. yg lebih tu, sape nak makan?

P/S
That night, decided to eat some for dinner and while we never did this back then, I decided to try scones with cheese+tomatoes and some chicken slices. Kunun wanted to make it 'heavy' enough for dinner and here's the result..

Still, after that, there were still 13 pieces lagik!! Huwaaa.. seryes had to eat it for the whole week pastu tau and only finished the last piece 2 days ago.. aiyooo~~

A birthday wish.. belated one, that is!

This is a very late entry, if you ask me. Its to compensate on a late birthday wish to a dear ol' friend of mine..

..and by ol', I actually MEAN old! Hahaha..

Ok.. sgt tak sedar diri memandangkan I'm 8 months older than her hehe..

Sowi Baiii.. You know kan I've NEVER forgotten your birthday.. always nak lawan with Amin sape wish you first. This year of course la I remembered (tho admittedly, awal bulan aritu had to recheck the exact date sbb takut salah) and of course la I wanted to beat Amin to it but my phone was barred.. uwaaaaa~~

Seryes rase tak sedap duduk coz not only can't I use my phone, I was outta internet access so couldn't wish you online jugak. Only arrived home around Maghrib and wrote on your FB was ASAP wpun I knew I was among the last to wish.. Sorry sgt!

But I have to admit how much you made me smile with your text to me about 'waiting' hahahah.. Its things like this that make me NOT wanna forget your birthday tauuuu.. coz I know you appreciate it!

Nway, I found this on FB just now..

..and it reminded me of her so I decided to use it as a tribute to her belated birthday wish ni.

When I was in form 2, Abah was in the PTA committee and as usual, he'd take over the motivational programmes for the exam classes. Being in form 2 meant I still had a year before my PMR but Abah being Abah, forced me to join my seniors in those programmes.

It terrified me as I wasn't exactly someone everyone knew in school.. kang ade yg pandang serong je tgk budak form 2 dlm program tu kan? Besides that, I was a bit too shy and timid so I was dreading the weekend, knowing I'd be all alone.

I told Baizurah about it and was almost in tears as I talked to her. You see, the week before was the first part of the program and I had a bad experience with a senior who wanted to take me under her wing and treated me like a pet.. err, in a way an all-girls school could do and I didn't like it coz after that the senior kept pestering me to be her pet sister and all that. I was horrified! Baizurah just sat there, listened and sympathized but it made me feel better..

..and she surprised me by appearing in the program that weekend!

Only God knew how relieved I was to see her smiling face amidst the (frightening.. er, at least then la!) seniors!

And she sat with me throughout the whole weekend so I wasn't alone (or avoiding that certain senior).. yeay! Made me love her even more!

So here's to one of the special friends whom you can leave for so long (form 4 till after we got our degrees kottt) but pick up right where you left once you meet them again!

Happy birthday, Sentot! <--Jgn harap la sy nak benti panggil awak camtu =p

P/S
In accordance to my chubbiness, I hereby announce that I'm officially cuter than you!

Then..

IM: Tadi mase sy nye turn, awak tepuk tangan tak untuk sy?

SG: *laughing* Mane ade.. Kiri kanan sy org yg sy tak kenal. Segan la pulak nnt diorg heran tgk sy tetibe je tepuk tangan kan..

IM: *diam*

SG: Kenape?

IM: Hmm.. Tadi mase awak naik, sy rase sy yang tepuk paling kuat kot. Sy nmpk awak dah beratur nak naik, sy siap pakse Din tepuk untuk awak sekali..

SG: *rase bersalah tp nak kaver* Hahah.. abis la Din heran, ape ke he plak dia kene tepuk tgn kat sy..

IM: Sebab awak yg naik..

SG: *diam n sumpah diri sendiri kenape jujur sgt*

IM: *diam jugak*

SG: *semakin diam*

IM: Jadi.. awak memang tak tepuk tgn la untuk sy mase turn sy eh?

SG: Err..

.

.

.
.

.

Damn kete selebah ni.. kantoi plak dok lap mata ni tadi! Siap dibukaknye tingkap plak tu. Buat tatau je, buat tatau.. Cepat la lampu ijau ni, lame sgt plak merah arini..

.

.

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But just for the record, I'm sure she was proud of you too.. ='(

Terkenang saat itu.. Pt2

Actually, I had planned to write about my Ramadhan experience during forms 4 and 5, when I was no longer staying in the hostel, but I remembered a few things I had left outta the previous entry..

Only 2 things came to mind when I think about it hehe..

1st ~ Cerite laksa

As I has said earlier, after Tarawikh, we usually had a moreh-like supper with all sorts of heavier-than-usual food. One that stood out to me was laksa.

Now, I'm not really a fan of laksa, but I don't mind eating it. The best way to describe my feelings towards laksa is 'indifferent'.. except when it was this laksa from a pakcik who sold it by bicycle la.. dia punye laksa mmg kelas! I remember one time Mama had ask me to call out to the pakcik s he cycled along our house to buy some laksa. I was waiting when he asked me, "Chek nak otak udang tak?"

I.was.offended!

Why, sbb I thought he was calling ME 'otak udang' (Malay proverb for someones who's 'slow'!) haha.. sian pak cik tu. Panic dia bile tgk muke sy nak nangis time tu hahaha.. Oppss, back to my Ramadhan tale. Though I'm not a big fan of laksa (klau ade, sy makan la.. tp klau takde, idak le sy nak gi cari), I realized that most Penangites really love laksa. Take for instance our canteen. Pak Cik Mat's laksa sold like hot cakes. For laksa alone, he had this really huge pot for the laksa gravy.. I loved the gravy but only ate it for bihun kuah laksa (Haaa, budak² Mashoor mesti ramai tau this favourite kan ~ ?)

So imagine how happy most of the hostelites were when the moreh for the night was laksa.

It was on one of these days that I went to the dining hall with one of my budak kamar.. don't remember who lah.. Aida ke Azimah ke Mawar ke.. hmm.. sape eh?

We sat in front of two Form 3 seniors.. kak Naca and her friend, kak No'en kot klau tak silap and both of them were really enjoying their laksa while us Form 1 junior ala² segan nak makan depan senior.

Tgh² makan tu, suddenly kak Naca asked us, "Sedap tak?", so my friend answered, "Sedappp, kak!"

Then kak Naca turned to kak No'en and asked her the same question, to which kak No'en also answered like my friend..

"Korang tau tak ape rahsia laksa yg sedap?"

To which, hati kecil sy berkata, I don't think I wanna hear this hahah..

So, kak Naca went on to say, instead of using flakes of fish meat, they used old newspapers that were soaked in water until they turned into pulp.. thats why the gravy that night was sgt pekat!

Though I knew she was pulling our legs, my appetite suddenly went AWOL.

Then she continued saying that the dark colour of the gravy was made from old unwashed socks (Okay, ni cam bleh byg la kan sbb kaler mmg agak seropa!) and she made gestures of wringing some old socks into the gravy siap ngan mimik muke yg tak tahan tuuu..

Di kale itu, sy trus tolak pinggan laksa sy ke tepi..

..and to be frank, I didn't eat any laksa until I was in my 20s hahah.. kak Naca nye pasal lah ni

2nd ~ Cerite kad raye

Dari dulu lagi sy mmg jenis org yg suke kasik kad raye.. but when I was in form 2 and form 3, we took the 'kad raya' giveaway a bit too far.. well, as far as the objective we had in mind la..

In form 1, some of my classmates had given raya cards to teachers who don't teach our class, like Cikgu Pah. I was a bit afraid of her and tho I'm the letter/card-sending kinda person, sy takde la kasik kat org yg takde kene ngene sgt ngan sy. However, towards the end of Ramadhan, we realized that these teachers don't reply our card (duhh.. of course la jarang ade yg nak reply) BUT, they 'replied' with duit raya..

Jeng³..

You can guess the rest la kot..

We had identified these duit-raya giving teachers (among them Cikgu Pah, Cikgu Nab, PO) so when we were in form 2, Operasi Duit Raya was put into motion haha..

You can see how tamak we were. I mean, Cikgu Nab already given us duit raya during the fireworks night at the hostel kan.. tp naaaaaaaaakk jugak kasik kad kat dia. Imagine, ONE card tu sampai 10 org kot sign.. and all who signed, dpt duit raye hokey. This project ws only aimed to the teachers yg sebegitu and I'm sure we got around 5 teachers kot yg camni.

It didn't help that our class teacher was Ustaz Rushaidi a.k.a Ustaz Shai. We loved him simply because he was so kindhearted and it was easy to bully him. Bkn la bully cam bangang style.. more like once a month, ade je yg mntk Ustaz Shai belanja.. and know what, thats what he did. He'd come to our class later, telling us to go to the canteen and tell pak cik Mat we were from class 2 Melati and our food would be paid by him.. and we did this almost every month.. giler manje ahh kitorg ngan Ustaz Shai time tu hehe.. dlm kelas pun we could korek² his love life (which, rumour was, at that time was with a pretty senior in our school.. err, kot! Hahah.. sile jgn marah Ustaz kitorg.. dia baik hokey!) sampai malu² dia.. and he's lefthanded, like me! <--Tp sy tak pandai B.Arab pun jugak haha..

So that year, we also got duit raya from Ustaz Shai (without the card trick) but some of us (me included) decided to see what he'd do if we sent him a raya card.. and voila, we got another packet of duit raya.. waaaaa, nakal giler kan kitorg.. amik kesempatan pulak hahah..

We did this until form 3 even though Ustaz Shai no longer taught us and masih la dia melayan student² mengade dia ni heheh.. Naik form 4 and form 5, most of my friends who were in the Operasi Duit Raya gang had moved to other schools. The only ones left were me and Ami je la kot. so maybe sbb dah takde gang, or maybe sbb kitorg dah MATANG (lah sangaaaaaaat!!) sikit, we no longer did the trick. In fact, nak anto kad raye ngan ikhlas pun macam dah malu.. boley?

3rd ~ Salam Jemaah

Ohhhhhh.. I said two things je kan come in mind? Actually, another one just popped up. It was the Salam Jemaah done on the last day of school before the raya holidays (actually, we also do this on the last day of school, but thats another story sbb yg Ramadhan punye lagik spesel.. and you'd see why in a while).

AlMashoor is quite a small school. We only have a total of around 500 students from form 1 to the Upper Sixth form so Salam Jemaah was easy to do. We usually did it after the morning assembly and it'll start with the first formers yg akan salam teachers first, then come up to the seniors.

This was the time kot nak mntk maaf salah ape² ke yg selame ni malu nak ckp, coz no matter if you want it or not, you memang kene salam with THE WHOLE SCHOOL (except male teachers la where we'd just apologize for our cheekiness haha.. and wish them a great holiday ahead). Mase ni jugak la seniors nak usik² juniors ke with imaginary faults just to make the juniors apologize dgn lebih panik lagi hahah..

Ehem.. this was also the time we got another packet of duit raya.. this time from the school. Yeayyyyy!!

Giler tamak kan hahahah..

But it was a fun time coz we also got to miss the first two classes la kot hahah..

*Aisyy.. makin rindu plak sy ngan zaman sekolah dulu*

Okay, nnt sambung.. wanna get ready for iftar jap dulu.. selamat berbuke ye! ☺

Terkenang saat itu.. Pt1

So yesterday was the mid of the weekend and I had initially planned to COOK! Masalahnye, bumi Pt Buntar/Nibong Tebal yg sudah lame tidak disirami hujan telah menerima rahmat yang besar spjg hari smlm. Makanya, perasaan sgt lah seronok duduk di rumah yg sejuk tanpe perlu aricon itu.. dan bile duduknye pun selese, mule la menjadi malas kan hehe..

Around 3.30pm, when I was ready to cook for iftar, I realized I hadn't defrosted the chicken yet.. so the perasaan malas won!

I got ready to go out to buy some supplies for my usual Ramadhan Project and decided to just go to the nearest bazaar at Nibong Tebal.. Ok la, actually Bandar Baharu punye lagi la dekat tp sy tidak berperasaan mau bersesak².

At the bazaar, I first noticed a cucur udang stall and was pleasantly suprised to see my student at the stall. Mule la nak nagco.. terlupe jap sy si Yazib ni pun kelas form 5 yg sy merajuk aritu hahah..

Anyway, maybe it was the sight of him ke.. or maybe sbb tetibe teringtkan my old students whom I nickname my bazaar Ramadhan stalker (hahah.. rindu kat diorg!), I suddenly found myself down memory lane..

*bunyi music ala² slow² tp tak romantic laaaa..*

Errkk.. pjg n jauh la pulak memory lane sy ni.. tak nmpk simapng kuar dah ni.. mane nak start ye?

Hmm.. I first felt the joy of Ramadhan during secondary school la kot.. Sblm tu mmg la puase semua tu, tp maybe sbb lame sgt dah kot I don't remember much of it..

Anyway, first time I celebrated Ramadhan away from home was in form 1. Mase tu pulak masuk AlMashoor kan. Nak kate syahdu sgt pun idak le kot sbb AlMashoor ngan my home pun dlm half an hours journey je pun hehe..

Well, first time sahur at the hostel, mcm konpius je.. Ye la, klau kat rumah, sahur 1st mesti la sedap², ni bile sahur kat hostel, mkn dia ala yg selalu mkn tghari tu je pun (ikan goreng, sayur masak sup). Mcm terkebil² jugak la kot time tu hehe..

The whole puasa day was like usual coz we still kene gi skola la sumer tu kan.. tp ptg tu, after Asar, was a new experience for me.. TADARUS!

Okay, in AlMashoor, we're supposed to Tadarus every morning pun. But we usually just recite the Al Quran together so this was the first time I had to recite Al Quran in front of 7~8 people who would be listening carefully to everything I read.. waaaaaa, kecut perut! Gile takuuuuuttt.. Dah la memang I don't really have the confidence in reciting the Al Quran, kali ni, terpakse pulak bace depan org.. seryes tergagap mcm ape je.. and sgt la malu sy rase.. but the seniors and my friend were kind enough to help me along the way so sikit demi sikit, I managed to get over the bumps.. wpun not entirely la (even sampai form 5 pun sy still takut bile Ustaz suruh bace dpn kelas) but at least I gained a bit of confidence kan ☺

Itu lah yg kitorg buat every Ramadhan sampai la we were in form 3 (Form 4 I no longer stayed in the hostel).. ye sy tau, skolah lain pun bnuat jugak.. but to me, it was a new experience.

Then, habis Tadarus, all of us got ready for iftar. Around 7pm dah boleh pegi dining hall dah beratur amik makanan. During Ramadhan, usually we'd sit with our roomates or 'ahli kamar' instead of with our friends. Seronok la jugak kan sbb once you've grown close to your classmates, agak jarang la jugak akan turun with bdk² kamar..

Haa.. mase ni pun terkebil² jugak.. sbb? Bukak puase mkn dlm tray hehe.. but the food was better than sahur la, of course.. Biasenye me and my bdk² kamar would go get our food, susun tray atas meje then go out to the garden ke ape ke to while the time away.. 5 minutes to iftar, everyone would have already been sitted and once azan je, everyone would eat.. the dining hall which was usually noisy akan sgt la sunyi sepi hahah..

Then, since mase tu mkn sgt cepat, even before azan Maghrib abis, ramai je dah abis makan.. boley? Sumer terus ke surau for Maghrib prayer. Biasenye during Ramadhan, mesti berjemaah² solat Maghrib nye. Sape abis makan dulu would pray with the first jemaah and sape yg kemudian would join the later one.

The usual post-Maghrib prep would be cancelled as we waited for Isya and tarawikh. during this time, student² cemerlang mmg will go to class to study la.. sy yg tidak la cemerlang sgt akan duk di kamar sembang with roomates while waiting. And when the time came, we'd all go to the musolla for Isya and tarawikh prayers together~

After prayers, we'd have our supper which was usually something nicer than the usual biscuits given to us. Rasenye sbb org sedekah kot something like that. Macam² la we got to eat during supper during Ramadhan. Laksa, mee kuah and such.. once in a while we'd get those milk or dadih from the Jabatan Haiwan (errkk, btul ke Jabatan ni eh?)

Then it was back to prep until 11.15pm.. then sleep. Simple kan hidup time tu.. and fun bile puase ramai² gitu (even if I DID dread the tadarus haha.. perangai tak senonoh sbb malu n takut org gelak sy bace Al Quran.. ade ke?)

Every year, there would be one day where both hostels (we had two different hostels at two different locations) would join together for a joint iftar with our teachers. During this time, we'd be asked to wear the hostel or school sorta uniform (baju batik laaa, not the white and blue baju kurung) and since the school musolla sgt la kecik, we'd perform our prayers on the netball court. Sejuk je.. and best! Solat bawah bintang weihhh, sape tak suke~ ☺

Sometimes, when I was in form 3, Aniza would ask me if I wanted to qiamullail with her. We had the qiam scheduled by the hostel but I'm glad I had friend who wanted to educate themselves to strengthen their belief. We weren't allowed to go to the musolla after 12am (Actually, I'm sure the warden tak kisah klau nak gi solat, she was only worried klau tido ke ape ke je dlm surau tu) so me, Aniza and Fikriah (kot.. I can't remember sape lagi) would stay up in our class eventhough lights off was at 12am.

Now, I don't remember where we got the idea but we sorta understood that Tahajjud can only be done if you had slept and bgn balik but mesti after 12am (skrg sy cari balik tp mcm tak perlu je.. yg afdhalnye is sepertige terakhir kan.. ke sy yg konpius ni ye?) so boleh tak, all of us will gilir² tidur hehe.. example, Monday would be my turn to not sleep so nnt only Ani and Fik je would qiam after I wake them up. Then Tuesday Ani pulak would not sleep as to wake us up to qiam and the cycle goes on mcm tu lah.. well, we were students.. agak jahil la kan but I love the fact that there was a give and take in here ☺

Now Ani is a teacher in Seri Nibong while Fik at SMKA Nibong Tebal.. and still I don't see them that much.. *sigh*

Mase form 2 pulak, lagi bes. Form 2s and form 4s stay at the hostel farther from school, at Jalan Perak so we had a bit of a freedom here. We were allowed to go out to Padang Brown everyday instead of only on Tuesdays so we enjoyed it here a bit more la kot.

But the best was when Ustazah Che Maznah and Cikgu Nab picked one night to give us duit raya. Giler seronok hokey.. and bkn itu aje, they bought us fireworks too!! Okay la, not la the noisy² ones, just the sparkles and the mercun you throw at people tu.. Hahah, I had a good time chasing Zahroh with a fistful of these.

Ohh, and also one they called mercun tarik.

Now the mercun tarik ni mcm special skit.. why? Our hostel at jalan Perak is like the long houses in Sarawak/Sabah and only had doors at each end as well as the very middle of it. Only the middle door was used tho so the girl in the kamar nearest to the door would tie up these mercun on peoples slippers. The fireworks were small and you wouldn't really notice it at first glance and most of us didn't notice them doing this as our kamar were far from the door.

So the name pun mercun tarik kan.. iamgine what happened when you wore a pair of slippers tied with the mercun and you tried to walk, thus 'tarik'king the mercun tarik along?

Hahah.. mmg nakal giler lah budak² tu haha..

I kinda missed the joy of Ramadhan at school once I stayed at home.. and I kinda miss it now.

Bes kan jadik budak² balik hehe..

Anyway, ade lagik ni nak citer, tp len entry.. dah nak imsak dah ni.. need to drink..

Selamat berpuase ye..

Kuih Tok.. with love! ♥

It was late in the night, and her tummy was grumbling. Not really wanting to eat anything this late at night, she ignored her hunger and continued to read the book in her hand for a few more minutes before her tummy got the best of her.

Having not cooked for the whole day, she knew she had to whip up something simple but filling as she had no snacks her in kitchen cabinets. Pondering a while over what she had and how long her tummy was able to stand being hungry, her eyes fell upon the plain flour container she had on her fridge while an old memory of her Pah's kitchen came into her mind.

"Thats it, I'll make some kuih Tok!"

Not really remembering the exact measurements and ingredient, she whipped it up from memory. Well, Pah didn't actually use any exact measurements anyway too and the best, they say, is what you do using your instinct as your guide.

Right when the batter was ready, she heated up her frying pan with just a little bit of oil. Her batter was at just the right consistency.. or so she thought!

When the frying pan was at just about the right temperature, she poured in the batter carefully at just the right amount.. and then she waited.

She remembered, as a young girl living with both her Pah and Tok, she spent most of her mornings in the kitchen. Not that she was old enough to help anyway, but she just loved being with her Pah as she prepared the meals for the day. She'd wake up early and sit with her Tok as he had his breakfast of kuih Tok, as she called it, before he went to the mosque for his Subuh prayers. This was always his favourite breakfast, and it became the favourite breakfast for the whole family where even her cousins would request kuih Tok. Some would eat it with sugar, others with leftover curry from yesterday. But best of all was to eat it all by itself.

Darn!

Her first attempt of kuih Tok yielded a very thick one. Not at all like the ones her Pah used to make every morning. Oh well, it was still edible and there was still enough batter for another two pieces. This time, she spread the batter a bit farther than the previous one but, oh no! It wasn't all nice and round, instead it was a misshapen kuih Tok that she had on her pan and she just let it cook.

This time her memories bought her to a time when she was a bit older but the funny thing is, she was still in her Pah's kitchen. Only instead of the kitchen in the Bukit Chandan home, it was the kitchen in the Kg Menora home. This time she was in the kitchen with Pah and her cousin, Sayang. They were helping Pah make some kerisik.. well, at least they were TRYING to help anyway.

Both of them had a mortar and pestle each and she had her favourite one where the pestle was made from a river stone and was smooth to the touch. Pah had taught them how to pound the fried coconut shavings until its oil was released but somehow, no matter how hard she pounded, she never got anything out of it whereas Pah was already pounding her fifth batch of fried coconur shavings. Almost at tears, she tried to hide how frustrated she was when Pah took her mortar and help her to pound it and voila! In a matter of seconds her mortar was filled with the kerisik they wanted. And all the while Pah told her, she had helped a lot pounding it earlier.

She was shaken from her day dreaming by the smell of burnt flour mixture and quickly took out her second attempt from the pan.

Sigh!

She only had enough for a last one but even as she poured the rest of the batter in the pan, she knew she'd never make any kuih Tok as good as Pah's! It was all holey by her attempts to pour the batter more thinly and she felt a bit frustrated with herself.

And she remember, how in the 10 weeks she had stayed with Tok during her industrial training, not once had she offered to make some kuih Tok for her grandfather who must be missing the kuih Tok made by his beloved wife all those years ago before she started getting sick and eventually passed away. She had helped to prepare his breakfast and morning coffee everyday without fail, even made some attempt at Malay kuih for tea which her Tok lovingly finished no matter how tasteless it turned out to be (cucu punye pasal kaaann!) but she realized, she never did that favourite breakfast item they had both loved and shared when she was smaller and for a while, her eyes felt hot with tears threatening to fall out of her eyes.

As she sat at her dining table with her 3 failed attempts at making something she had loved from the time when she was a wee toddler, she offered a small prayer for both her grandparents who had looked after her full of love. She missed them so much and wished she still had the chance to tell them how much she loved them.

If only she had the chance for another breakfast with the both of them with kuih Tok made by her Pah..

AlFatihah